The partnership between Citymeals + Life Story Club is creating more comprehensive care, offering nutritious meals and social connection to deliver better health outcomes for older New Yorkers
Together, we are addressing the epidemic of loneliness and social isolation threatening the health and well-being of older adults across the city
Citymeals’ robust network of more than 30 community partners provides an invaluable resource as we work to reach more people in need of support and connect them with a club that fits their needs
Life Story Club trained and provided toolkits to Citymeals’ providers to streamline referrals, making it easy to refer members to Life Story Club and provide a “warm hand-off.”
The response to the initial four clubs has been overwhelmingly positive with 54 new Life Story Club members and high participant satisfaction As we scale our referral process, we aim to connect with 10-12 more community partners to continue to expand our reach to serve more case management clients For many Citymeals’ recipients, the meal delivery is the only social interaction they get, but Life Story Club can change that, improving their nutrition and their mental health
Case managers overwhelmingly cite reducing loneliness and isolation as the most valuable aspect of the clubs.
82% of club members experienced a decrease in their UCLA loneliness scores
91%
of club members feel supported by their club
of club members felt their mood improved after attending club meetings 73%
100% of club members feel a sense of community in LSC of club members saw an improvement in social isolation as measured by the PRAPARE screening tool
100%
Storyteller Profiles
Life Story Clubs are only as strong as the storytellers who attend week over week Storytellers come from all backgrounds, boroughs, and walks of life and it is important to deeply understand older New Yorkers to best support them Enjoy the following three profiles of storytellers from Heights & Hills
MeetMarion
Marion sits on the sofa in her newly painted living room where she keeps her collection of porcelain figurines and a pair of elegant lamps. She tries to keep the room off limits to visiting grandchildren, but they’re all represented in framed photographs on the coffee table. She bought this house in Brooklyn with her late husband in 1971, and a grandson she helped raise now lives in the basement apartment and helps her stay on top of the bills She rents out the ground floor for extra income Marion recently built a villa in St Vincent where she was born, and there, too, she rents out an apartment to cover costs, but she keeps a floor for herself and visits at least once a year “I am so proud of myself for what I was born with and what I pick up on the street and what I achieve,” she says, pressing both index fingers to her temples “I thank God every day for what I achieve from where I coming from”
Marion ran away from home when she was 19 after being mistreated by her family. She met her husband when she ended up in the hospital, and she moved in with his parents when she was discharged and never looked back. Her husband came to America first, and sent for her and their kids a decade later
Life in New York wasn’t easy Marion babysat and cleaned houses while studying to become a nurse’s aide She sewed hats and got licensed as a beautician and continued doing side jobs even after she started working nights full-time at a nursing home – a job she held for almost 37 years All this while raising four children “In my car, you find a lot of cups and plates and everything because I'm eating my dinner going to work,” she says, matter-of-factly “I come to this country to better my position, and that’s what I was doing.”
Marion says her husband changed when he came to America, and their marriage was rough, but she stuck it out She’s glad she did He gave her the family land on which she built her villa, and she cared for him in his last days and made sure his body was brought back to St Vincent after he died in 2022
At 87, Marion is living life on her own terms “I’m happy I’m comfortable” She gestures to the photographs spread out before her “These are grandchildren And they come” She likes to spoil them with her home cooking Her youngest grandson once had to be rushed out of an IHOP because he threw a tantrum when his order arrived and it wasn’t a “grandma pancake.”
Marion remembers when her case worker first mentioned Life Story Club: “I said, ‘Well I know nothing about no club I don't go to clubs and things’” Now she’s glad she joined “There’s a lot of stories you don't tell nobody,” she reflects “And the friends I had before, they passed away It’s interesting to sit and listen because there are people from so many different backgrounds I love the club I look forward when Wednesday come, and when I go home, I could still join them when I'm in St. Vincent.” Marion looks forward to sharing her favorite view with the other participants. “I get up in the morning and I sit on my porch and I look at the sea and the boats going back and forth,” she says, describing her perfect day there. “I feel like a millionaire without the money.”
MeetMichael
“Thank God for singing,” says Michael “It kept me out of a lot of trouble”
Michael has lived all his 66 years in the Kingsborough Houses, a 16building housing project in Crown Heights, Brooklyn that spans four city blocks and is a neighborhood unto itself He loved growing up there and says of his childhood, “We would do it all over again From the morning to the evening, we always had things to do”
Michael also had an older brother and sister to look out for him His sister Lisa loved to sing and often performed for imaginary audiences in their apartment with Michael acting as emcee and tracking her with a flashlight. Lisa won a talent contest sponsored by NYCHA as a teen, and Michael still keeps the plaque on display “I know she would have made it,” he says He looked up to her so much that he didn’t sing in her presence, but she encouraged him to find his voice
Everything changed when Michael’s siblings died within a couple of months of each other when he was 12, his sister of leukemia and his brother a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time Michael started going down a dark path, but singing was his salvation. Inspired by Lisa, he performed in a school talent contest and loved the response he got from the audience. From that point on, he joined one close harmony group after the other, and when his non-singing friends started getting into serious trouble, he always left just in time because he had rehearsal
Michael held down a variety of day jobs, first in the mailroom of the Daily News and later in construction and as an elevator operator at Madison Square Garden, where he got to meet many of the celebrities he most admires Watching Michael Jackson rehearse and escorting Patti LaBelle back to her dressing room are two of his favorite memories, and Michael was frequently rewarded by management for his friendly demeanor and positive attitude He enjoyed working, but retired in 2007 after a workplace accident qualified him for disability
Life has been quieter since then Michael still sings with his church gospel choir, but when he asks his home health aide how many people come to visit him these days, she replies without hesitation, “Only two.” “This is not gonna be the neighborhood hangout,” says Michael, nodding. “I done lived my life.”
When Michael’s case manager first suggested that he join Life Story Club, he said yes mostly just to please her, but now he looks forward to it every week “Life Story [Club] is wonderful It brings out a lot of you It’s like, okay, all that was in me all this time and it's now out of me And you start feeling great about it” Michael loves listening to other people’s stories as well, and so does his aide “They’re honest They’re not making up stories,” she says with approval “You know, it’s very spicy” They both laugh
It didn’t take long for the other participants to find out about Michael’s singing, and they’ve requested a live performance at their first in-person gathering. Michael is looking forward to meeting the other people behind the stories. “It’s going to be like we know each other… I'm going to sing a nice song for them. Yes.” Michael has a lifetime of memories to share and plenty of living left to do
MeetDonna
“It's like I hit a million dollar jackpot because I'm in my right mind To wake up every day in your right mind and know that you're okay, you're normal, you're good – everything else is a cake walk after that”
Donna’s smile is like a burst of sunshine, and when she gets excited, her voice rises in pitch and volume until you’d think she just won the lottery. In many ways, she feels she has After living with depression for most of her adult life, Donna began charting a path toward recovery in 2012
She credits her faith, her practice of daily affirmation, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, through whom she received both treatment and training to become a volunteer mental health advocate
She also learned to be less of a people pleaser and to prioritize her own wellbeing Some of her friends and relatives don’t like the change because she no longer caters to their every whim She recently treated herself to a solo birthday lunch so that she wouldn’t have to worry about where anyone else might want to eat. “I had the most enjoyable time of my life,” she says. “It’s so nice to feel this love that I’ve been giving to other people. I’m giving it to myself now. It’s no wonder they’re mad at me for leaving them behind!”
Donna’s family immigrated from Belize when she was 11, and they moved from the Bronx to Brooklyn when she was 13 This is where she went to high school and began working as an accounting clerk and met her husband of 44 years Describing her marriage, she laughs and quotes Billy Graham’s wife Ruth, who, when asked if she had ever considered divorce, said, “No Never divorce Murder, yes!” Their living room is full of photos of their three children and many grandchildren, and she says that her greatest accomplishment is raising her kids to be productive members of society in spite of her mental health diagnosis. Her son is a retired Marine who now works for the State Department; her older daughter is working towards a PhD in creative writing; and her youngest, inspired by her mother’s experience, is a rehabilitation counselor for the state of Texas “I sort of live vicariously through them because I never finished college,” Donna marvels
When Donna’s case worker told her about Life Story Club, she was excited to learn from other seniors and discuss things like culture, food, and family “I'm a student and a teacher at the same time, you know, and I just love learning from other people I’m over 65 and the stories just sort of let me know how to appreciate life and aging because some are older It's like Forrest Gump said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates You never know what you're gonna get’ So I never know what I'm gonna get out of Life Story Club It's just fun surprises, you know” Donna admits that she probably wouldn’t have joined before her recovery. “I was too sad and too depressed and too in my world.” Today, however, Life Story Club has its place among the activities that bring her joy. “I love being a senior. I've earned my badge. The Life Story group inspires me to really get out there and enjoy life. You’re never too old to learn and just enjoy things and share stories Everybody got a story, you know I just enjoy it so much”
“Iwouldtellanyone,especiallyseniors,ifyou'rehesitan you'reshy,ifyou're,you'renotapeopleperson,ifyou're aboutbeinginagroup,trustme,thefacilitators(andEs NoraandTiffany)wouldmakeyoufeelsocomfortable, home.It'ssoeasybecauseIwasalittlenervousaboutit beginning,butitwasverynice…”
Donna
“I love the stories. I love the different people to meet and there's always different stories…I'm really happy that it's available to us to be able to go back into your childhood… Life Story [Club] is beautiful.”
— Michael
“Iwouldencourageanybodytotryitandseeifit'ssomethingyou likeandyouwanttothinkbecauseIknowIlikeitandIknowIenjoy it…I'm87yearsold,andI'msaying,‘Well,aslongasIlive,I’mgoing tokeepontrying.’I'mnotgoingtogiveupthateasily.
— Marion Thepaintriestoholdmedown,butIgetupanddosomething… ButIlovetheclub.IlookforwardtoWednesday.Imake sureIchargeupmyphone,becauseifIdon'tgetitonmy tablet,Icouldgetitonmyphone.”
